Tony Stark's Domination of the Childcare Industry
by Ether Morlon
Summary: From high-tech armor for fighting terrorists to an AI, Tony Stark can build it all. So, of course, when he acquires a mini, one-year-old Peter Parker after a misfired spell by a rogue sorcerer no one was surprised when he took the childcare industry by storm. Honestly, he was just trying to make life easier for both Peter and himself.
1. The Start of the Storm

It had been about a month since Peter Parker had been deaged into a one-year-old by a crazed, psychotic sorcerer on the loose. Dr. Strange had been consulted and while he couldn't break the spell on Peter, the sorcerer had been able to discern that the spell was only temporary and would eventually run its course. When asked how long that could take, he had gravely shaken his head and darkly replied 'about three months'. To which Tony Stark; the invincible Iron Man, carrying a squirming, whining Parker in his arms muttered a defeated, 'fuck'.

And so, Spiderbaby and Iron Man had quickly fallen into a routine after a visit from Aunt May subsequent to the dreaded phone call explaining the entire situation. It had been decided that Tony would be looking after the one-year-old as it had become apparent that Peter had retained his spider powers and was already proving to be quite the handful. And a month later child and billionaire genius had come to an understanding, sort of….

The time between Peter being hit by the spell turning him into mini-Peter to now had been filled with highs and lows unsurprisingly. Tony was obviously not a childcare expert nor did he have any idea of how to look after a person with Peter's abilities. However, in his opinion; which is obviously the only opinion that mattered, he was doing great. Peter wasn't dead yet, which meant that things were going swimmingly. So incredibly swimmingly, in fact, that almost a month into this babysitting gig he had created a couple of amazing childcare inventions for his spider-baby.

The hovering baby carriage had come to fruition after he had gotten sick of pushing around the stroller that Pepper had bought; along with all the other kid things that mini-Peter had needed. After a park day where Tony made sure his Spiderbaby would exhaust himself running around and playing, the kid would fall right to sleep in the stroller on the walk back to Stark Tower. Of course with his spider senses so fine-tuned, Peter woke up as soon as the stroller started bumping and jostling down a crowded, uneven stretch of walk. A cranky spider baby was not a fun spider baby, Tony found out. And so, the hovering baby carriage was soon born to rectify the problem.

Today; as all other days, Peter and Tony headed out after Tony's meetings were over for the day, snacks and other essentials packed. A disguised Tony Stark; dressed in sunglasses, old jeans, and a band t-shirt, carrying a happy, babbling child in one arm, an odd metallic bag in the other, and an Ironman backpack slung on his back. He was rocking the dad look in his opinion. The two made their way to a park near Stark Tower, as Tony had learned that Peter was a boundless font of energy and playing in the park was an easy way to tire the kid out at the end of the day.

"Park! 'Ony park! We go park!" Peter exclaimed excitedly, wriggling around and pointing from Tony's arms, as the park came into sight

"Yeah, yeah Spiderbaby. We're going to the park, calm your brakes," Tony chuckled, "And let's try not to be a sand monster today, huh? I still haven't been able to get all that sand out of your shoes."

"Make cas'le! 'Ony help!" The toddler patted Tony's face, urging him to hurry to the park

"Gotcha buddy. We'll make a giant sand palace." Tony reassured, giving a kiss to the tiny hand and making the toddler giggle at the scratchy goatee

In the end, a tiny mound of sand replaced the giant sand palace promised and more time was spent on the swings, slides, and kiddy jungle gym. The swings were greatly favored, with the toddler squealing and demanding Tony to push him higher. Peter liked climbing up the slides instead of sliding down them, while Tony didn't understand, he still found it adorable and took many pictures to send to Pepper and Rhodey.

By the end of the spell's duration he wanted a library's worth of pictures and videos; mostly to tease the kid with but also because he wanted memories of sweet, adorable innocent mini-Peter just enjoying a second childhood. Tony laughed and recorded a video as his Spiderbaby effortlessly traversed through the bars and easily made it to the top.

"'Ony wook! I up, up, up!" Peter called and waved down to the billionaire from the top of the jungle gym

"Great job, Petey-pie! Amazing climbing skills as always kiddo! Be careful on the way down though!"

Some more running around and more rounds on the swings tuckered out mini-Peter; yawning and rubbing his eyes by the time he was ready for snacks.

"Guess it's time to go back home, Spiderbaby," Tony said, snickering at the tiny toddler nodding off in his lap, trying to rub his eye while still clutching an apple slice

"Nooo! I, play!" Peter whined unconvincingly, as Tony put the baby carriage down on the ground. It unfolded soundlessly and started to hover in the air, stabilizing swiftly.

"Tomorrow, kiddo. Tomorrow, we can play on the swings again. And try for that giant sand palace we never get to." Reassured the billionaire, genius as he picked up his tiny charge and transferred him into the carriage. The hovering carriage easily took the child's weight, barely dipping down as it continued to hover near Tony's waist height. Peter grumbled groggily at his park outing being done for the day but accepted it easily enough. He snuggled into the comfortable red and gold blanket lining the inside of the carriage and fell asleep immediately. The walk back to the tower was jostle-free and Peter slept peacefully the entire way back.

Tony congratulated himself on a job well done and thought of ways to improve even further upon the carriage. While the hovering capability was good, stability could always be improved and he could add more features: storage, maybe cooling and heating systems. Different styles, materials, and types of frames to play around with. He could probably have his Spiderbaby test out what styles were more comfortable. The genius continued planning out upgrades and new features to add the entire walk back to Stark Tower; gently pulling the hovering red and gold carriage with his precious cargo, engrossed in his thoughts.

Walking into Stark Tower, however, was a different experience than the calm day out that Tony had just come back from. His employees were running around as if a disaster had occurred during the few hours Peter and Tony had been gone. The billionaire genius wondered just what had caused such an uproar.

"Mr. Stark! Oh thank god, you're back!" Tina from PR exclaimed with a relieved tone, as she ran up to the man. Her hair was in disarray and she was clutching a Starkpad like her only lifeline.

"Whoa! Where's the fire?" Tony asked, startled by the hubbub

"Mr. Stark there are pictures of you everywhere and the media is going insane!" Tina replied frowning, as she checked over her Starkpad, "I don't know how we're going to manage this. Honestly, I have no idea how we can get a handle on it, it seems like we can only put out the fire at this point."

"Hold on a second, what's going on?" Tony asked, baffled by what she was saying

"What's going on!?" Tina repeated, eyebrows raised at her boss and waving around the Starkpad in anger

"Umm...yes?" Tony whispered, his brown eyes wide in astonishment. He thanked himself for thinking ahead and having added soundproofing to the carriage. Peter slept on peacefully, oblivious to the commotion around him.

"That is what's going on, Mr. Stark!" Tina said, pointing to the soundlessly hovering carriage at the genius's right, "That adorable new invention that you so readily toted around the park you went to this afternoon! Not to mention! Not to mention the baby!"

Tony held his ground at the face of his Head PR manager's wrath only because of Pepper's volcanic fury which was the stuff of nightmares. He had faced worse. He internally winced, Pepper must have been notified by now that he was back in the tower. Tina was just the appetizer to the talking to that was coming for him from Pepper.

"I thought that I was disguised fairly well. I didn't think people would notice Peter and me at the park." Tony replied, pouting at his head of PR

Tina took a steadying deep breath as if denying the urge to facepalm, "Mr. Stark," she said in a trembling, downtrodden voice, "you're not disguised at all. Anyone could recognize you from your goatee alone. Not to mention the hovering baby carriage and the color theme! One look at your goatee, an advanced hovering baby carriage next to you, and the color scheme anyone would be able to guess who you are, Mr. Stark."

"Oh," Tony uttered dejectedly

"All this insanity isn't just over the baby carriage though, as I said, Mr. Stark. People also want to know who the kid is! We're being flooded with calls," Tina said, looking one disaster away from crying, "and people are asking for interviews and press conferences! They want to hear from you about the kid! We're being asked about the freaking baby carriage! They want to know if SI is going to head into childcare products now!"

"Whoa, calm down Tina. We'll figure this out and get a handle on it." Tony assured

And so, this was the start of genius, billionaire, philanthropist Tony Stark's short but illuminating foray into the childcare industry.


	2. Toy Robots to End All Toy Robots

Note: Let me know if formatting is weird, I find Archive of Our Own much easier to handle and navigate (you can find me there as well by the same name- EtherMorlon).

I also wanted to note that Peter does remember everything, which is why he's not very freaked out about staying with Tony and Pepper. He remembers his friends and school and such but has a child's outlook and emotions about everything and is just enjoying his summer vacation.

* * *

The incident with the shiny, new high-tech hovering carriage turned thousands; if not millions, of heads towards Stark Industries. Numerous inquiries and comments were made about the technology behind the carriage, about who the child with Tony Stark was, and if SI would be heading into the childcare industry. The Stark Industries PR team worked through the night appeasing the public and disclosing that the child seen with Tony Stark was not, in fact, his secret son that he had just taken guardianship over. Pepper and Tony had determined that Peter would be called Pepper's nephew for the temporary time that he was deaged, as Tony's entire family history was so well known to the public. The PR team divulged that Peter would be staying with Pepper and Tony for a short duration and so the public might see the toddler on outings with Tony or Pepper at times.

And so, the hovering baby carriage and Peter were both adored by the public and the media. In short order, Tony had outlines ready to be looked over, with the carriages promising soundless, stable and long-term hovering capabilities, soundproofing, many storage options, heating and cooling systems, and smooth folding and unfolding. The carriages would also come in an array of different colors, styles, and frames. Tony was also throwing in Iron Man themed blankets and sippy cups for free, just because he could and wanted to. Stark Industries affirmed that production of the carriages would begin promptly after a bit more testing was conducted to make sure all safety and health guidelines were followed.

It was safe to say everyone was totally on board with this new venture for Stark Industries. The board members absolutely were over the moon at the new projections of how much money the hovering carriages were going to make. Pepper was just glad SI was gaining good attention and that Tony looked happier as of late. While he was still her mad scientist often coated in oil and still apt to blow things up, he was smiling and laughing a lot more. She knew she had Peter to thank for that.

"Honey, I know that you love those robots, but they can't come with you, Petey-pie." Pepper sighed, trying to cajole the toddler into leaving behind Tony's newest childcare invention

All she received for her effort was a trembling pout and the most miserable puppy eyes she had ever witnessed. They were worse than Tony's, she was sure of it. Pepper was so moved that she hurriedly picked the toddler up and started patting his head to console him.

"Oh, Pete. You know I can't say no to that face. You can't do that to me it's not fair. That face isn't fair." she sighed in defeat, carding her hand through fluffy brown curls as Peter whimpered in objection, "You can take the robots, but it will be Tony's fault if they blow something up."

"Bots be goo'. I be goo'." Peter earnestly assured, staring up at Pepper with wide, innocent, brown eyes

"You're always good Petey-pie. Better than good! You're absolutely amazing!" She said, swinging Peter around in a circle and causing the mini-Spiderman to squeal and giggle

"Hey, buddy are you ready for the zoo?" Tony asked, emerging in a dark, red hoodie, jeans and his signature red sunglasses in place, fiddling with the straps of a small Spider-Man backpack holding essentials for Peter

"Sea lions! Bots come too!" Peter exclaimed and wriggled around in excitement in Pepper's arms

"He's taking the robots, Tone." Pepper informed, giggling at the toddler, Peter was fit to burst from excitement

"No problem, they'll be fine. Won't you guys?" Tony grinned and crouched down, addressing the miniature Iron Man and Spider-Man figures who nodded in confirmation at the genius

"I can't believe you made actual mini robots of yourself and Pete," Pepper said, staring at the miniature robot heroes in awe, as they calmly climbed into the Spider-Man backpack that Tony had put down.

The inspiration for the mini Iron Man and Spider-Man had come to fruition after the appalling realization that Peter was not catching onto a lot of Tony's jokes. Specifically, Toy Story. And so, commenced a night of binging on the Toy Story series where Tony had the magnificent idea that he could build his own tiny, sentient figures for Peter. A couple of nights in the lab brought forth mini Iron Man and Spider-Man. Mini-Iron Man was able to fly a few feet off the ground, and Spidey was able to jump, twirl, and flip with frightening precision. The mini heroes were mainly programmed to play out battles with the two mini-Doom bots Tony had designed, with mini-Iron Man able to shoot soft darts, and Spidey able to shoot webs and silly string.

Of course, advanced toys weren't all that the mini-heroes were. Tony had programmed the miniature robots with certain protection and defensive measures. The protocols were there just in case his Spider-baby ever needed help when Tony wasn't in reach. The mini-heroes were able to respond to simple commands and had the ability to communicate with Friday in the case of an emergency. Tony; being the overprotective and paranoid bastard that he was, had also loaded a list of approved people that Peter could interact with. The main protocol named Stranger Danger worked as where anyone not on the list who tried approaching Peter would instantly alert Friday who would in turn alert Tony for instructions on how to handle the situation. They were able to provide a small amount of protection, as well. Mini-Iron Man had the ability to shoot stun blasts that could knock people out for several hours, while mini-Spidey could shoot taser webs and small stun grenades. His Spider-baby adored the mini-heroes and couldn't be parted with them.

"Well, Happy is waiting for the two of you down in the garage. He's going to be using one of your less ostentatious cars. And make sure those robots don't blow something up, I've seen what those tasers can do." Pepper said, giving Tony a stern glare

Tony raised his hands up in a placating gesture, "Got it, Pep. We'll be on our best behavior."

"We be goo' Pep-pep! Sea lions!" Peter told the red-head, patting her cheek in assurance

"Oh, I know you'll be perfect, honey. The one I'm having serious doubts about is Tony." Pepper said, smirking at the genius's pout in response

"Such faith! I'm hurt!" The genius exclaimed, clutching at his heart

"Oh, shush you, you big baby! We're taking him to a science museum next time when I'm free. Bye sweetheart. Have fun at the zoo, I want to see a bunch of pictures when you're home." Pepper said, kissing the toddler goodbye and handing him to Tony

"Bye-bye, Pep-pep!" Peter waved to the red-head from Tony's arms as the two walked to the elevator.

Happy got them to the zoo in quick time. Peter was near vibrating in excitement as it came into view.

"Excited aren't ya kiddo?' Happy said, chuckling at the toddler squirming around in his car seat

"Sea lions! Sea lions!" Peter squealed, tugging on Tony's sleeves

"Gotcha, Spider-baby! We'll see lions, first thing." Tony assured, chuckling at how adorable his kid looked wriggling around in his car seat. The toddler had on jeans and an Iron Man hoodie, on his feet were velcro sneakers that lit up arc reactor blue every time he kicked his feet against his seat. The hoodie had been Pepper's idea, she found it adorable dressing mini-Peter up in super-hero themed clothes; from the backpacks to clothes, shoes and even hats.

After paying for entry and acquiring a map, the two men, and tiny tot looked through the attractions and exhibits available.

"Sea lions?" Peter asked, from Tony's arms as he looked down at the map, frowning critically at the paper

"Hmm, we're near the southern gate. To get to the lions, we'll be passing the gift shop, bug carousel, and the giraffes." Happy informed, pointing the path out on the map

"We better get going then. Petey-pie here might just explode if we don't get there soon enough." Tony said, hiking Peter up higher in his arms, and fixing the straps of the small Spider-Man backpack on tiny shoulders. Mini Iron Man and Spider-Man were peeking out of the backpack, heads moving around and taking their surroundings in.

"Sea lions! Go!" Peter yelled, pointing forward

And so, commenced the walking with Peter 'oohing' and 'aahing' at the crowds of people and the sights in the zoo. They passed the shuttle station and flamingos that Peter deemed pretty. The three came to a stop at the bug carousel.

"Want a ride on the carousel, Spider-baby?" Tony asked with a grin

"Ride! Ride bug, 'Ony!" Peter squealed at the sight of the carousel, pointing eagerly at the ladybug seat

Tony sat his Spider-baby on the ladybug and stood by his side to make sure his kid wouldn't slip off the seat. Happy stood next to the ride; by the dividing fence. He chuckled as he took a picture of the genius and his mini look-alike; the two grinning and waving at the bodyguard.

Tony held onto the pole with one hand and another on Peter's back to keep him stable as the carousel started to spin. The genius beamed at his kid as he giggled, laughed and waved at Happy; with the lights flashing on the ride and loud, cheerful music blaring from the speakers. After the carousel ride, the three continued on their way to the lions, passing by the giraffes which Peter was wonderstruck by; pointing at their tall necks and how high they reached.

"There are the lions, kiddo. Do you seem them?" Tony pointed out, holding his Spider-baby high

"Sea lions?" Peter asked quizzically, with a confused pout on his face

"Yeah, Petey-pie. There are the lions, don't they look cool?" Tony said, pointing out the lions grazing around in their enclosure

"No. No' sea lions," Peter affirmed with a frown, staring down at Tony inquiringly from the billionaire's arms

"What do you mean buddy?" Happy asked, his brows scrunched in confusion

"No' sea lions," Peter repeated, disappointedly. Mini Spider-Man and Iron Man hung to the toddler's backpack straps; halfway out of the bag and halfway in, drawn out by the confusion.

"You think Pete means something else, some other animal?" Tony proposed confusedly, he walked to a bench nearby and sat down, seating Peter on his lap and pulling out the map

"Wan' sea lions, 'Ony," Peter said, putting his head next to Tony's and staring down at the map, their heads so close that the two's hair blended together. Happy snickered at the two, both had their brows scrunched and lips pursed in concentration. Peter would occasionally look up at Tony as if checking to see if the genius had found the solution to their dilemma. Happy quickly took a picture of the two seated together.

Suddenly, mini Iron Man flew off Peter's shoulders to in front of the map that Tony was holding and moved his metal hand across the page to a symbol of a sea lion.

Tony let out a laugh at the realization, "Sea lions!"

Happy looked over the genius' shoulder at the map and tracked his eyes to where mini Iron Man was pointing and let out a sound of understanding, "Oh, he meant those ones."

"Yeah," Tony said still letting out small chuckles, he looked towards mini Iron Man with a smile, "Thanks mini-me."

The mini sentient figurine gave a small salute and flew back to Peter's shoulder, where mini Spider-Man gave his fellow robot a high five.

"Ya know, those robots are freaking amazing Tones." Happy said, staring at their antics on Peter's shoulder, his comment got him a kiss blown from Iron Man and a thumbs up from Spidey

"I know right! Pepper's been encouraging me to start a line of them. I've been thinking about it, what features to add, what to take off, and stuff. Even I know parents won't want toy robots to have stun grenades and taser webs in 'em." Tony said excitedly, as they walked in the direction of the sea lion pool

"Wait! They have grenades?! And taser webs?!" Happy exclaimed, "Isn't that a bit excessive Tony?"

"Maybe a bit," Tony explained with a shrug and a kiss to Peter's beaming cheeks, "but I wanted them to be able to protect Pete if I was ever not there for him."

"Hmm, I won't argue with that. Everyone knows how much trouble the kid can get into." Happy said, ruffling Peter's hair and receiving an annoyed whine

The three walked through the zoo, passing by the baboons, bears, plenty of birds, tigers, and bison. Peter started wriggling in Tony's arms and craning his neck to see as soon as the sea lion pool came near.

"Sea lions! 'Ony sea lions!" Peter exclaimed, patting the genius' cheek and pointing at the pool

They were just in time for the feeding of the sea lions and the area around the pool was packed. People were crowded around the pool to see the amazing sea creatures, taking pictures and videos of the trainers feeding the sea lions. Tony and Happy found some open space near the dividing fence and stood to watch the feeding show.

"Fish 'Ony!" Peter pointed excitedly

"Yeah, Spider-baby. They're feeding the sea lions fish." Tony affirmed

After the feeding show and showing Peter more animals around the place, they eventually made their way to the children's zoo. Peter had a great time climbing up rope ladders and going up a tree house which had a slide. The children's zoo was interactive with lots of activities to keep kids; and also, one scatterbrained billionaire, entertained and it even had more animal exhibits to see, as well. The three spied turtles, fishes, an array of birds, and many more animal species. Peter also had a blast feeding the goats and sheep. Happy noted that Tony seemed shocked at some of the chickens that were out of their pens and walking around loose in the petting area, at one point poking a chicken on the side which earned significant pecks and squawking.

Soon the three made their way out of the children's zoo. Tony and Peter went inside a nearby gift shop while Happy made his way to get some drinks for the three. The small restaurant was crowded and the line to order was packed; the din in the place loud and boisterous. Happy was in line to order, tapping his foot impatiently and grumbling about how far he was from the front. As he was in line, Happy couldn't help but overhear the conversation of two teens at a table not too far away.

"Did you see what Casey posted?" A girl in a blue shirt asked her friend in red, staring intently at her phone

"Oh, he's here with his girlfriend today, huh? Omg! Tony Stark! No way, that pic can't be real!" The girl in red stated after checking her phone

"Well, I mean, where would he get the time to fake it, ya know? That kid is sooo adorable, don't you think?" The girl in blue inquired

"Hmm, true. Omg! Do you think we could find them here?" The friend in red asked, fingers flying over her phone and a flurry of notification sounds assaulting the restaurant

"We should so, totally try. Omg! Casey posted another pic. Look! They're at a gift shop. Let's go check." The girl in blue stated

"Wait. What if it's not Tony Stark though?" The girl in red asked, a slight frown on her face

"Girl!? Did you not see the goatee? And those sunglasses are totes his style! It's def. Tony Stark! Let's go, girl!" The one in blue said excitedly, pulling her friend out of her seat

Happy snorted in laughter and stayed in line, unworried about Tony not being able to handle two teens.

Tony set Peter down to look around the gift shop. His Spider-baby eagerly took everything in. Mini Iron Man and Spidey were at Peter's shoulder looking around and on the alert in such a crowded area. He toddled off to look at the shelves that his head could reach with Tony following behind also looking at what the gift shop had to offer.

The two looked around for a while, Peter was fascinated with all the stuffed animals while Tony looked at small figurines and collectibles; trying to find something Pepper might like. In the end, he chose some nice-looking animal figurines for Pepper, Rhodey, May, and Happy. He also picked out a book of facts and information on the animals they had seen around the zoo, something he was sure Peter would love. Instead of bedtime stories, his Spider-baby loved nonfiction. The kid would find a book on animals or plants; whatever he found interesting, for Tony to read to him before bedtime.

"'Ony wook! Sea lion!" Peter tugged on Tony's pant leg, holding up a giant plush sea lion toy when the genius turned his head to look at the toddler

"Hey! That one's cute. You want it, kiddo?" Tony asked, crouching down and ruffling his Spider-baby's hair

"Yeah! Fo' Ned an' Jay-jay too!" Peter said, staring up at Tony with wide, glimmering eyes and a pout

Tony chuckled at the face, "Oh, kiddo, how can I say no to that face? I'm sure Ned and MJ will love them!"

"Yay! 'fank you, 'Ony!" Peter exclaimed, giving Tony's leg a hug

"Aww, kid. It's nothing. I'm just happy we had such a good day. Let's go buy all this stuff and go meet up with Happy." Tony said

After paying for the things, arms laden with his Spider-baby; who was happily hugging his new sea lion plush, and bags hanging from his forearm, Tony walked to exit the gift shop only to hear his name shouted out from the other end of the shop. He turned around to see two teens excitedly run up to him.

"Well, I guess Tina was right." The genius muttered to himself, as Peter gazed curiously at the two teens from Tony's arms

The teens were two girls; dressed in blue and red, probably around the age Peter would be at present, if not for an insane sorcerer.

"Omg, Casey was right!" The one in blue squealed

"Oh my gawd! Mr. Stark, we're like super fans! Could we like get a selfie with you?" The girl in red asked, giving Tony puppy eyes, looking so ever hopeful

Tony stared in surprise for a second, wondering if watching over mini-Peter had somehow made him more vulnerable to the puppy eyes. Before this entire debacle, he would have at least uttered some snappy lines or funny quips. Now, however, he agreed immediately, if only so that sad, hopeful look would be wiped away from the kids' faces. He supposed he had always gone for the funny, drunk uncle vibe and now he had this whole nurturing, sensitivity thing going on. Honestly, he had no idea where else this new side of him could have come from other than because of taking care of Pete.

Tony looked to Peter who was still calmly snuggling his sea lion and seemed at ease with the situation.

"Uh, yeah yeah! Sure, kids. That's fine." Tony said, hefting up Peter and posing with a smile for a selfie with the teens

The gushing of thanks and starstruck quality of the girls had made others in the gift shop curious to what the commotion might be. As Tony's Head of PR had surmised, only a thorough second glance was needed by most people to see that Tony Stark was amongst them. Of course, this caused quite the stir and had people converging in the gift shop with their phones and questions.

While Peter had been calm in Tony's arms with the two teens, seeing such a large number of people gathering around them frightened the toddler; with him becoming agitated and claustrophobic. He squirmed and whined in alarm, hugging his plushie close to him and staring at the people surrounding the two as if watching a train wreck about to happen. The flashes from cameras hurt his eyes, while the people's shouted questions and exclamations crescendoed increasingly, making Peter's ears ring from the noise.

"'Ony!" Peter cried, his eyebrows pulled down and hiding his face in the genius' shoulder

"I know, sweetheart. I know," Tony said, curling his arms tighter around Peter, "We'll get out of here."

Suddenly, alerted by Peter's distress mini Iron Man flew off the toddler's shoulder and into the air. The mini hero flew near Tony's shoulder height, in front of the two. The crowd grew quiet and stared in shock at what seemed like a toy-sized Iron Man suit, threateningly point its blasters at them. Even more shockingly, a toy-sized Spider-Man had appeared on Tony Stark's shoulder and pointed his hands at the crowd forming behind the genius. Together, mini Iron Man watched the front and Spidey watched the back.

Murmurs started to ripple through the crowd, as they wondered just what these toy sized replicas of the famous heroes were and what they were doing here with the genius and Pepper Pott's nephew. The two teens had backed away into the crowd as the mini heroes stared down menacingly at the people.

"Please back off. You are causing distress to the child. If not, defensive measures will be taken." Mini Iron Man said to the crowd, which only caused the noise level to increase

Tony hummed soothingly and stroked Peter's hair, as he wondered about how on earth he would be able to walk out of the gift shop without causing his kid to become more upset. The noise level was deafening, and even with his sunglasses the flashes from the cameras pointed at his face was almost blinding with the glare from the noonday sun that filtered in from the large windows of the shop. He felt like a deer staring into headlights, frozen from shock and horror.

Just as he had steeled himself and took a breath to calm down the people who had converged around the two, he heard a familiar voice barging through the crowd and making his way to them. Tony felt a tug on his elbow and smiled in relief to see Happy at his side.

"Come on. We're getting outta here." Happy said, face serious with anger and outrage

Peter had peeked his head out of Tony's shoulder at Happy's voice; his eyes were teary and face blotched red, "Hap-hap! We go home!"

"Yeah, buddy. We're going home now. Let's get you two out of this mess." Happy said

The bodyguard lead the two out of the gift shop and to the car without incident. Tony threw open the door and got inside while making sure not to bump Peter's head on the top, and slammed it closed with more force than necessary. After the two were safely inside, Happy revs up the car and peels out of the parking lot, cursing up a storm the whole while.

"Language, Hap. Got young ears back here." Tony said, without much humor. Peter had literally crawled into his lap, sniffling and burying his face into Tony's chest as the genius cuddled him in his arms.

"God, Tony. I'm so sorry, that crowd was my fault. I saw the same teens earlier, and they were in that crowd in the gift shop. I heard them talking about you at the restaurant and trying to find you and Pete. I, honestly, didn't think anything would happen." Happy explained as he drove back to the Tower

"It's not your fault, Hap. I don't want you blaming yourself for this crap. I didn't see it coming either. Shit happens, but you're family Hap, and you've always had my back no matter what crazy mess I've found myself in. Today included." Tony said, with a reassuring smile

Happy smiled in relief and relaxed his grip on the steering wheel. He drove home as Tony calmed Peter in the back.

Tony had Peter cradled in his lap, the toddler attached to him like an octopus. He soothed through his Spider-baby's brown curls and held him close, kissing the top of his head.

"Scawy 'Ony," Peter mumbled into the genius' chest, his breathing soft and eyelids drooping after the entire ordeal

"I know, baby. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I promise to never, ever let something like this happen again." Tony said with fierce conviction, holding onto Peter until the toddler falls asleep in his arms

"He finally asleep? Poor kid, the crowd really scared him, huh?" Happy asked from the front of the car

"Yeah. Hey, how much do you think building an animal sanctuary would cost?" Tony asked, in sudden thought

"Tony..." Happy groaned in exasperation and fondness

"Tony Stark, well known as the superhero Iron Man, was seen today at the zoo of all places! He was there along with his bodyguard Harold 'Happy' Hogan and Pepper Potts' nephew. Several pictures of the three were posted all over social media. It seemed that Mr. Stark had taken the kid to enjoy a day at the zoo." The anchorman said, with a smile on his face as he turned towards his co-host

"Well put, John. But that wasn't even the most surprising thing to come out all of this. It seems that Mr. Stark; whom we all know is one hell of an amazing engineer, has made one more invention for Ms. Potts' nephew. I should probably say, two new inventions. If we turn our attention to the screen behind us, you can see just one of the pictures taken in what appears to a gift shop at the zoo. They might look like toys but..."

Pepper turned off the large TV in her office and pinched the bridge of her nose. She felt another headache and what was going to be another shitshow media frenzy incoming.

She was going to demand new shoes. She deserved new shoes. Several pairs of new shoes. It was her right to have new shoes, several pairs of pretty, pointy, tall heels that made Tony look even shorter standing next to her. His adorable pouts as he had to look up at her were just too damn cute.


	3. A Magic Bubble to envy

AN: The original idea from my list of cool kiddy inventions Tony will make: A playpen that's not some boring ordinary plastic fence around your child, no, this be a Stark invention beeyotch, its a 360 degree touchscreen surrounding your child with amazing speakers that provides your kid with amazing educational entertainment to keep devil children occupied, little Peter enjoying a movie where he feels like he's one of the characters, like he actually feels like he's in Hogwarts or something lol

* * *

Tony and Pepper's adorable, little alarm clock did not come toddling and squealing into their room this morning. Their Spider-baby was usually up at the crack of dawn and happy to wake everyone up to get ready for the day. If Peter wasn't so cute and precious, Tony might have been grumpy about being woken up early. But of course, Peter was adorable and precious and all kinds of huggable and pinchable. And so, Tony let the pre-coffee morning grumpiness go and just accepted their adorable early alarm clock into their life. This morning, however, Tony and Pepper were woken up by Friday with her usual rundown of weather and their schedule for the day.

"Pete?" Tony asked, looking around groggily for his Spider-baby

"Peter isn't here?" Pepper asked, confused as well

"Peter is still asleep, Boss and Boss-lady. He seems a bit flushed and uncomfortable though." Friday replied

"I'll go check on him," Tony said, getting out of bed and walking to the room next to theirs.

The walls of Peter's room were decorated in tones of navy blue and white. Posters of many different superheroes and Star Wars covered the walls, while tiny, random lego pieces littered the floor here and there. The ceiling was filled with glow in the dark stars, resembling actual real constellations in space. Mini Iron Man and Spider-Man stood like sentinels on the nightstand near the bed.

Tony stepped into the room, walking gingerly across the lego littered floor and making his way to the bed where Peter still lay asleep. Friday had been right, there was a slight flush to his cheeks, and the toddler had made a mess of his blankets in obvious discomfort. Tony checked his kid's forehead and frowned at the warmth he felt.

"Friday, call Dr. Strange and let him know Pete has a temperature."

oOo

Let it be known that Tony Stark did not, in fact, panic and call Dr. Stephen Strange; Sorcerer Supreme and Master of the Mystic Arts, over the fact that his Spider-baby was running a bit warm at 7 am in the morning. All the while forgetting everything the doctor had informed him of about the re-aging process. Nope, that did not happen. What also didn't happen; never let Friday, Pepper, Happy and Rhodey say otherwise, was Tony Stark dragging everyone out of bed and haphazardly researching facts on colds, flu, pneumonia, and medications. Aunt May had also not been called informing her that Peter was dying. No, none of that had happened. Tony Stark does not panic. Tony Stark is the epitome of calm and collected. All naysayers are dirty, dirty liars.

One extremely cranky Dr. Strange had finally settled the entire hullabaloo after three cups of coffee, clearing the air on the fact that Peter was not going to die, his brain wasn't going to melt, and that, yes, a slight temperature was normal for the re-aging process. The sorcerer advised keeping an eye on the toddler and making sure he stayed comfortable.

After the sorcerer had left through his hastily cast portal and Aunt May had been called again; by Pepper this time, to inform that Peter would be just fine and that Tony was a drama queen, life returned to relatively normal. Relatively normal as opposed to completely normal because let's face it, their life rarely ever stayed normal for long.

Tony and Pepper both had a board meeting to attend, and someone needed to keep an eye on Peter, who was still fairly uncomfortable and very clingy to Tony because of it.

"I _stay_!" Peter whined, clinging to Tony and hiding his face in the genius' shoulder

Tony winced and pleaded with his eyes for Pepper to say something as he cradled the toddler in his arms and soothed a hand through the soft, brown curls. Unfortunately, all he got from the redhead was panicked eyes and what he knew was a crumbling will to cede to Peter's wishes. Not that Tony, himself, was ever better at denying Peter anything; aside from that one thing that shall never be discussed _ever_ again.

"Pete can come to the meeting with us. He can sit with Tony, and we have that playpen that he likes so much. It's only about an hour and a half long, then we can go for lunch. It should be fine." Pepper said, appearing to reassure herself more than anyone else

"I stay?" Peter asked, looking up with teary, wide brown eyes

"Yeah, of course, kiddo. You can come to the meeting with us. You can play with the mini heroes and relax in your playpen. It's a short meeting, and after that, we can have lunch. How's that

sound, Spider-baby?" Tony asked, going along with Pepper

Happy snorted at the couple, "Weak." He received a sheepish shrug from Pepper, while Tony stuck his tongue out at the bodyguard

* * *

Richard had only recently joined the board of directors for Stark Industries, and as such he was still adjusting to the dynamics of the company. The board had already assembled in the appropriately titled boardroom and were waiting for Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts to arrive.

The door to the boardroom opened to let in Mr. Hogan who checked out the area and also installed some type of playpen like structure next to Mr. Stark's chair. Richard confusedly wondered why on earth something like that would be needed for the board meeting. He shook it off, however, as Mr. Stark was known for his many eccentricities and it wasn't worth wondering about.

Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts finally appeared 15 minutes late bearing donuts and a child. Mr. Stark was holding a _child_ in his arms! A few seconds later, the realization hit him that this must be Ms. Potts' nephew, although it still didn't make sense as to why the kid had been brought along to the board meeting.

"Apologies, apologies all around for the lateness, but we come bearing gifts! Everyone take a donut and let's start this shebang so we can get out of here asap!" Mr. Stark said as pleased as punch, and took his seat putting Ms. Potts' nephew on his lap and scrolling through the StarkPad in front of him

Richard's fellow board members stared at the man, who nonchalantly looked through his Starkpad with a child on his lap peeking curiously at the pad along with the genius.

"Ms. Potts, what is your nephew doing at this meeting?" A board member asked his grey mustache quivering in outrage

"I apologize, ladies and gentlemen, Peter was feeling a bit under the weather and needs an eye on him." Ms. Potts answered, seeming unaffected

"This is _entirely ludicrous_ , Ms. Potts. A board meeting is no place to bring a child. Could you not have hired a babysitter or had a guardian watching over him?" The same board member asked his face a blotchy red illustrating his dislike of the situation

"We both elected to bring Pete with us. It's a short meeting, and he can amuse himself just fine." Mr. Stark said, answering this time with narrowed eyes and a frown that discouraged further objections

"Ah. Alright then, I'm sure Ms. Potts' nephew will be fine just for this meeting. Let's get started. We're meeting today to figure out the production and sale for the robot figurines." Another of Richard's fellow board members said in a placating tone

oOo

That got the meeting started with discussions on features, prices, materials, designs and what heroes they would choose to depict for the figurines. Richard couldn't help staring at the child sitting so calmly with Mr. Stark. He had a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Stark was not reading any of the documents nor the analytics on the robot figurines they were discussing. Instead, the child and Mr. Stark sat there giggling and whispering at whatever they were watching on the StarkPad. Yes, he sincerely doubted that Mr. Stark was listening to the discussion at all.

As the meeting went along the kid had moved from Mr. Stark's lap and into the playpen. Richard doubted it could even be called a playpen, and he was very sure that Mr. Stark had built the thing. No one else would have the ingenuity or the motivation to try improving something so juvenile. He honestly wished to know what had inspired the genius this time around. Maybe another children's movie?

Richard continued staring at the kid in the playpen, Peter was sitting down next to the original toy robots; both on either side of him, and seemed to be watching Narnia. Mr. Stark would occasionally sneak glances down at the kid and smile when he saw the toddler still enjoying himself. It was apparent how much the billionaire cared about and doted on the child.

Richard knew he really should be listening to Ms. Potts on the facts and figures about the toy robots, but he was honestly more curious about the playpen. He was also a huge Narnia fan. It really couldn't be called a _playpen_ anymore. First of all, it wasn't just a hexagon of cheap plastic to encircle a child with, so that they could be kept in one place. The playpen was a giant circular transparent touchscreen. A giant 360-degree transparent touchscreen...for a child to watch Narnia in. The movie spanned the entire circle with the kid sitting in the middle with the toy robots. Richard wondered how cool watching Harry Potter would have been in the playpen. It probably would feel like he was actually inside Hogwarts along with the characters. Mr. Stark never did things by halves, Richard questioned why he was even surprised by the genius' inventions at this point.

However, Richard wasn't sure if the kid was just _watching_ Narnia either. By that, he meant, the scenes didn't look very familiar. And if there was one book series he truly knew by heart, it was Narnia. Richard _really knew_ his Narnia, he'd even read The Magician's Nephew and knew how Jadis came to be in Narnia. And so, he didn't recall Aslan and Mr. Tumnus ever talking for so long. Plus, Edmund had never broken out of the ice castle with a bow and while stealing the scepter. It had become very clear that the kid was playing a video game based on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The graphics were amazing! Amazing enough that he had thought it was the movie at first-

Aslan had called the kid Petey-pie! Aslan was addressing the kid with a pet name, and the kid was actually now having a conversation with the lion! Richard's mind was blown. He was definitely not jealous though. Not even a bit. Nope, not at all. It was in his opinion, however, that Mr. Stark should really consider expanding into the video game industry. Everyone on the planet would greatly benefit from it.

oOo

"My apologies for interrupting, but my sensors have picked up a projectile headed our way quite fast." Friday interrupted the meeting to the confusion and horror of the entire board

"Shit! Friday get shields up!" Mr. Stark barked out and suited up in an instant, faceplate coming down and eyes glowing arc reactor blue

Transparent shields rose behind the seats of the board members and encased them in a dome of protection. Richard spied the playpen next to Mr. Stark's empty seat doing the same and adding a double layer of protection for the child. The top of the playpen enclosed over Peter and the mini robot heroes, encasing the child inside a dome and the transparent screen of the playpen tinting dark all around.

"Tony, is Peter safe?" Ms. Potts asked from her seat inside the shield with everyone else

"Yeah, he's inside the playpen, the shield is activated. He won't be able to see or hear anything outside." Mr. Stark replied as he moved to the front of the large windows at the side of the room with Friday notifying that the large projectile was inbound in a few seconds

* * *

Soon the windows shattered and a large explosion went off inside the boardroom. Tony grunted at the force of the blast and looked back to check on the others. The board was perfectly safe behind the shield albeit shocked and scared. The suited hero looked out through the blasted in windows to see a masked man riding on a modified chitauri hovering chariot.

"Tony Stark! You are all that's wrong with the world! I'm here to destroy you and all that you stand for!" The masked man said, pointing at the suited genius

"What, you're against me advocating for clean energy? Innovative tech? Childcare products?" Tony asked with sarcasm dripping from his tone

"You fired me! You shut down my work! All my research, all my hard work! Its all gone and my reputation is down the drain!" The masked man shouted in rage

"Fired? Now, who exactly have I fired recently?" Tony asked humorously

"Woods! Frank Woods, Head of the Biochemical Division! I had everything until I was fired! Now, I have nothing! All of my research! You are to blame!" The man screeched at the suited hero, ripping off his mask and revealing his face

"Woods, I fired you because you were researching bioweapons. You might have been talented, but your research was beyond unethical. Stark Industries _does not_ make weapons anymore, and it definitely _does not_ condone the production or research of bioweapons." Tony said, his tone absolute and clear with no room for argument

"I was researching something great. I was going to make something amazing! You ruined it! You ruined it all!" Woods screamed out loud, pointing at the genius and his eyes wild

"You're research was unhinged, Woods. You are unhinged! There was no way your work would have been allowed to continue." Tony replied, looking back to see that the board members along with Pepper and Peter were still fine although astonished at the identity of the intruder

Woods screamed in outrage at the genius' words and pulled out grenades, "We'll see how unhinged I am when your skin is peeling off your face!"

Tony only let out a laugh, leveling a smirk and a repulsor to the man's face, "Yeah, we'll see about that."

oOo

One stunner to the face was all it took, but you could never be too sure with the crazies. So Tony shot him two more times just for good measure. Honestly, the one day he brings Peter to work along with him, and they're attacked by a mad, vengeful lunatic. _Geez!_ Another stunner was sent at the madman's face because of the worry and fear for Peter's safety.

After checking with Friday to make sure nothing else was amiss, security was called to cart the unconscious madman away, and the genius was finally able to take off the armor. Tony could see news helicopters circling the Tower and calls were already coming in to inquire about the explosion. He already knew a press conference was going to be needed. These days people got very twitchy about explosions and such happening in the city since it usually meant another new big bad had popped up out of the woodwork.

The shields for the board members finally receded after getting the all clear. Peter was still enthralled with the video game inside his playpen as Tony came up to the toddler. The shield over the playpens' top receded as he bent down to pick up his Spiderbaby.

"Hey kiddo, how was the game?" Tony asked, giving a kiss and a ruffle to a head of soft, brown curls

"Fun! Aslan coo'!" Peter giggled, nuzzling into the genius

"That's great, Spiderbaby. I'm glad you had fun. Maybe I can base the next one around Hogwarts or something." Tony said, as he sighed and held the toddler close, "Today was an interesting day so far, huh?"

"Go home, now?" Peter asked

"We can go back up in a just bit, Spiderbaby. I just have to take care of a few more things, and then we can enjoy lunch. I can't believe its barely 12." Tony said, letting out a tired breath

"Room messy," Peter commented as he gave the boardroom a critical examination.

"Ah. Yeah, bud. It seems we're gonna have to redecorate. Someone went a bit crazy in here." Tony answered humorously

Peter didn't have much of an opinion on the matter and took Tony's vague explanation in stride, electing to just snuggle into the genius' arms. Soon Pepper came over to the two and let Tony know that the press conference was ready to go. Peter was transferred to Pepper without much fuss, and Tony went to address the press about the Frank Woods situation. To assure the public that the lunatic had been apprehended.

* * *

"'Ony where?" Peter asked Pepper, wriggling in her arms

"Tony is gonna be back soon, honey. He's just making sure that everyone is okay." Pepper assured, patting the toddler's back and holding him closer

The two were on the couch now in the penthouse watching the live news report of Tony addressing the media, with Peter in Pepper's lap and the redhead working through a StarkPad. Reporters and interviewers were crowded around the podium watching and recording the genius as he explained the situation with Frank Woods.

"Ony!" Peter exclaimed, pointing at the TV as it showed a close up of the man

"Yeah honey, he's talking to everyone over there." Pepper explained, holding onto Peter with one arm while coordinating cleaning crews, hiring an interior decorator, and scheduling new meeting times

The two watched the live news report as the press conference continued until the questions came around to shots from the news helicopters of the attack and explosion. People had noticed the bubble like thing inside the shield with the board members and were curious about what it could be.

Pepper's fingers froze over the pad. She knew what was about to happen and she watched it like an oncoming trainwreck with Peter in her lap so innocently oblivious. She watched as Tony opened his mouth enthusiastically explaining to the reporters about his newest invention for Peter. He was animated and gushing about the mechanics of the thing, eyes practically sparkling and hands gesticulating along with his words.

The playpen had come around during a lull in Tony's extremely busy schedule. The genius had absolutely refused to put Peter inside the designer, quality playpen that she had bought. His exact words had been, 'Boring. Ugly. He's not going in that. I'm making him something better. Throw that out.'

And so, in a few days, the playpen had been built. Boasting a 360-degree touchscreen, soundproofing, shielding from just about a large bomb, plenty of educational programs, and a couple video games that Tony had added. The games were usually inspired by whatever movies that Tony deemed Peter totally needed to watch so his Spiderbaby could understand his references. The one based on Narnia was the most developed so far, as Peter absolutely adored the characters and story. The educational programs were on math, science, history, English and even mythology. Peter loved the history tours generated by the playpen of ancient locations and cities, like Alexandria, the pyramids of Egypt, and Tenochtitlan.

She, honestly, wasn't very mad, Tony was ever so adorable as he piled more work her way. Already, she could see on the StarkPad the number of emails and notifications climbing, and she could only imagine the number of calls coming through to the PR department. She was going to owe another gift basket to Tina. That woman was a godsend to Stark Industries.


End file.
